Meet the 2015-16 VISTAs!

We are excited to introduce our 2015-16 cohort of NC Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTAs who started their first day of service today. We have thirteen new members, who were selected from over a pool of over 85 candidates, and we also have five returning members as well. Our brand new VISTAs returned from PSO in Atlanta only yesterday and we are looking forward to having all our members at Elon University on August 27th-28th for a day and half of orientation. We thank all our members for their commitment to service and are looking forward to another inspiring year!

We asked our VISTAs to share a little more about themselves including what motivated them to become a NC Campus Compact VISTA, what they are looking forward to most this year and their favorite free time activities!


Shannon Barr

Host Site: High Point University

Partner Site: Washington Street Project

Focus Area: Education 

Hometown: Lexington Park, MD

Graduated from: High Point University with a major in Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology 

 I became a NC Campus Compact VISTA to contribute to a shift in campus culture, to increase access to educational opportunities for youth, and to gain skills that will serve me as I continue to pursue my passions after VISTA.

 I am looking forward to seeing the college students with whom I work continue to challenge themselves and grow.

 I love to hang out at local coffee shops or find local festivals, concerts, or spoken word poetry events going on in the Triad.

Victoria Binder

Host Site: 

High Point University

Partner Site: Washington Street Project

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Hometown: Pleasanton, CA

Graduated from: High Point University with a major in Business Administration

 Food insecurities in High Point, North Carolina motivated me to become a VISTA.

 Looking forward to working with the Washington St. Project to alleviate hunger through planting community gardens 

 Favorite free time activities: Hiking and traveling 

Justin Brantley

Host Site: Feast Down East

Partner Site: UNC Wilmington

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Home Town: Wilmington, NC

Graduated from: UNC Wilmington with a major in Public Sociology and

Minor in Psychology 

 I am re-enrolling as a second-year VISTA with NC Campus Compact out of my desire to learn more about the community to better serve it.

 I'm looking forward to reaching new beneficiaries at different sites.

 Favorite free time activity: playing guitar.

Elizabeth Busby

Host Site: Wake Forest University

Partner Site: Various Winston-Salem agencies

Focus Area: Education

Home Town: Fayetteville, NC

Graduated from: Wake Forest University with a major in History with and double minor in Politics and International Affairs, and English.

 I am passionate about economic justice, and intend to pursue a career in economic law.

 I am looking forward to strengthening financial literacy, advocacy, and economic justice tools within Winston-Salem this year.

 I like to read, blog, go on runs, and spend time with good friends in my free time.

Meghan Engstran

Host Site: Meredith College

Partner Site: Children’s Collaborative of Wake County

Focus Area: Education

Hometown: Andover, MN

Graduated from: University of Minnesota Duluth with a major 

in Political Science

 My desire to serve motivated me to become a NC Campus Compact VISTA and to serve a second year. 

 I am looking forward to continuing my project this year.

 I love water activities!  

Ethan Flynn

Host Site: Hospitality House of Boone

Partner Site: Appalachian State University

Focus Area: Economic Opportunity

Home Town: Marion, NC

Graduated from: Appalachian State University with a major in Sociology

 Sociology has guided me toward social and human services. My choice to become an NC Campus Compact VISTA came from learning how this AmeriCorps program can help me continue the type of work I have passion for. 

 I am most looking forward to putting my best effort into making my project successful and enjoyable. I already love the organization I am going to be working for, and I couldn't be happier to begin something new with them. 

 In the cold months I snowboard as much as possible with a close group of friends. Being on a snowboard has been my getaway for the past few years, and I can't imagine living anywhere other than the mountains.

Rachel Glasser

Host Site: Marian Cheek Jackson Center

Partner Site:  UNC Chapel Hill Department of Communications

Focus Area: Education

Hometown: Columbia, SC

Graduated from: Furman University with a BA in English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Wake Forest University with a MA in English

 I'm hoping to build a career in education and the nonprofit sector.

 I'm looking forward to growing as a writer, teacher, and activist, meeting new people, and using my education and expertise to impact my community.

 I like to read, run, and update my blog.

Erin Karpovich

Host Site: High Point University

Partner Sites: West End Ministries

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Home Town: Ramsey, NJ

Graduated from: High Point University with a major in Human Relations and minors in Non-Profit Leadership and Management, Spanish and Leadership.

 I enjoy community development and empowering others.

 I am looking forward to bridging gaps between the University and the city to increase involvement and understanding of both sides this year.

 I love to travel! :)

 I love meeting new people and am excited to share this experience with so many!

Matthew Kauffmann 

Host Site: Community Empowerment Fund

Partner Site: UNC Chapel Hill-NC Poverty Research Fund

Focus Area: Economic Opportunity

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC 

Graduated from: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Philosophy 

 I'm passionate about civic engagement and higher education

 I'm looking forward to helping CEF with its strategic plan and with its data and analytics.

 Favorite free time activity: Running! 

Zachary Kopkin 

Host Site:  Marian Cheek Jackson Center

Partner Site: UNC Chapel Hill Department of Communications

Focus Area: Economic Opportunity

Hometown: Marietta, GA

Graduated from: Appalachian State University with majors 

in Anthropology/Peace Studies and Civic Engagement

 Service-learning was an essential element of my college experience. 

 Looking forward to being involved in and learning alongside a new community, contributing to a very unique project and perspective on community that bridges past and present to advocate for justice.

 I like to hike and play the mandolin.

Allison Plitman

Host Site: UNCG Office of Leadership and Service-Learning

Partner Site: Backpack Beginnings

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Home Town: High Point, NC 

Graduated from: UNC-Asheville with a major in International Studies, and minors in Africana Studies and Sociology 

 My volunteering work in the larger Asheville community, including hosting volunteering events for my student clubs motivated me to become a VISTA. 

 Looking forward to having new experiences, growing as a person, and meeting new people most this year!

 I love to craft; I can etch glass, knit, crochet, make dream catchers, paint, etc.

Kenya Shakir

Host Site: Raleigh College Center

Partner Site: NC State University TRIO Programs

Focus Area: Education

Hometown: Fayetteville, NC

Graduated from: Eastern Carolina University with a major in Sociology

 Service motivated me to become a NC Campus Compact VISTA.

 I am looking forward to impacting the community and making connections this coming year. 

 I like to watch movies in my free time.

Lizzie Shepard

Host Site: East Carolina University

Partner Site: West Greenville Community Youth-Based Partners

Focus Area: Education

Hometown: Walkertown, NC

Graduated from: Queens University of Charlotte with a major in Psychology

 I enjoy giving back to the community and I was encouraged to join by a past VISTA.

 I am looking forward to help those in need and to be a positive role model while gaining experience this year.

 I like to spend time with friends in my free time.

Jade Umberger

Host Site:  East Carolina University

Partner Site: Greenville Harvest

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Home Town: Mt. Sterling, Illinois

Graduated From: Illinois State University with a major in Family & Consumer Sciences: Food, Nutrition, & Dietetics

 Volunteering on various Alternative Break trips in college, and my love of community and sharing resources motivated me to become a VISTA.

 I am looking forward to meeting new people and making a lasting impact this year.

 I enjoy reading (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter), making food for/with friends, and trying new things in my free time.

Natasha Vos

Host Site: Wake Forest University

Partner Site: Various Winston-Salem agencies

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Graduated from: North Carolina State University with a major in Animal Science and Poultry   Science

 My commitment to service and working as part of a university community to engage students motivated me to serve a second year as a NC Campus Compact VISTA.

 Looking forward to exploring more of Winston-Salem, expanding on Campus Kitchen partnerships and running a marathon this upcoming year.

 Favorite free time activity: Running. All of the running.

Rachena Webb

Host Site: Degrees Matter!

Partner Site: Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro

Focus Area: Education

Hometown: Raleigh, NC 

Graduated from: Eastern Washington University with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies and a minor in African Studies 

 I loved working as a VISTA making a difference  in my local community  and I felt  that  being a NC Campus  Compact VISTA I could help build a stronger relationship  between college campuses  and the local community. 

 I believe that if we can educate the community that we are in, then it will be easier to mobilize ourselves for change.

 I am excited about working at my site because I am passionate about my agency’s mission. 

 I am looking forward to building better relationships with the parents and colleges as well as following the success of all the families involved.

 Favorite free time activity: star gazing.

Annah Wells

Host Site: Western Carolina University

Partner Site: The Community Table

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Home Town: Asheboro, NC

Graduated from: NCSU with a major in English  

 I served last year with another education-focused AmeriCorps program in Miami, FL. I loved the experience and wanted to strengthen communities by serving a second year with AmeriCorps. 

 I chose NC Campus Compact because I want to help college students realize the potential they have to be forces of social change.

 I'm looking forward to learning from and working alongside the wonderful staff at the Center for Service Learning at Western Carolina.

 I love to read when I have free time; there are so many books I want to read that I'm usually reading 3-4 at a time. I also can't wait to enjoy the outdoor activities in the mountains of Western NC.   

Can you hear me now?

By
Perdita Das, VISTA Leader at North Carolina Campus Compact

It’s not every day that you get to speak with the NATIONAL AmeriCorps VISTA Director. I count myself to be lucky to be among the few chosen members to have had the opportunity to chat with Director Paul Monteiro on the phone. I think it’s really cool that the head of a national program is taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to speak personally with VISTAs across the nation. The half hour conversation I had with him was thought provoking, reflective and, most importantly, very honest. We spoke of the many rewards, some challenges and what it personally means to me to be a Volunteer in Service to America.

The conversation gave me food for thought and I hope it provided Mr. Monteiro with the insight he was looking for. We talked about why becoming a VISTA was important for me, what made me decide to be a VISTA leader, what are some of the challenges my cohort and I face as service members, and so on and so forth. I tried my best to represent my program and my VISTAs and I hope that my comments will help him as he plans for the future of the program.

As VISTA members, we fight poverty and our main focus is to build capacity of organizations that are committed to alleviating needs in a community. In addition, it is also a way for young, civic-minded professionals to gain valuable skills and experience that can be applied to future career choices. But most of all, VISTA members are able to provide support to organizations that allows them to build long term capacity and sustain projects that are important to a community in need. My conversation with Director Monteiro revolved around these ideas and he asked me some really important questions of how we can make this experience for VISTA members a positive and worthwhile one. Pretty much nothing was off the table- our topics ranged from living stipend, healthcare benefits to recruitment challenges and so forth. As a VISTA, it gave me an opportunity to voice both my praises and concerns for the program. As a VISTA Leader it allowed me to learn the critical thinking process that I will be able to use as I plan for the professional and personal development of our cohort of VISTAs.

I believe Mr. Monteiro has a vision for the program which will allow it to reach new heights. I was excited when he spoke about engaging VISTA alums more and making our alumni network a stronger one as that is something we are also trying to do with NC Campus Compact’s current members and alums. I am grateful that I was able to talk candidly about different things that can often be a challenge. The fact that he is taking the time to talk to members shows his commitment and I am looking forward to the future of this program. The conversation gave me different aspects of service to reflect upon and it made me proud to be a part of the AmeriCorps VISTA family. Thank you Mr. Monteiro!

Three Vivacious VISTAs, One Full House

By
Adekemi Ademuyewo, Shannon Barr and Anna Mahathey 

From L to R: Kemi, Shannon and Anna
at the HPU Holiday party

“Well…this is awkward…” Kemi proclaimed to Anna and Shannon as she reveled in the awkward silence that filled the kitchen of their temporary home the first week they met. That sentiment was shared by all the women, who didn’t quite know what to expect out of having to live with the same people they would have to work alongside for the next year. As the only VISTA with a studio apartment to herself the year prior, Anna, quite honestly, was not looking forward to adding two strangers to the living mix. But along came quiet, inquisitive Shannon and vibrant, cheerful Kemi, and all three women, the now self-proclaimed Vivacious VISTAs, moved into a cozy, campus-owned VISTA house.

Stuffed peppers a la VISTA Chefs

They started off their bonding experience by taking the beautiful one-mile walk along the greenway to work each morning. As they trekked up the deceivingly steep hill that made their thighs and calves burn, the initial awkwardness blossomed into friendship. Over the following months, they spent many a night quizzing each other on state capitals, learning together the correct geography of the United States and trying for far too long to open jammed doors. They also bonded while hanging mirrors, sipping on wine and fabricating definitions for non-existent words during late night games of Boggle. They’ve challenged each other to try new things, including do-it-yourself haircuts via YouTube video instruction, a 30-day squat challenge (because VISTAs who squat together, stay together!), and the delectable treat of Oreos and peanut butter.

While mostly fun and full of laughter, this living situation hasn’t been without its challenges. As the VISTAs wear the multiple hats of being coworkers, friends and housemates, they readily find themselves coming home exhausted at the end of a long work day, only to catch up on other work-related matters late into the night. It’s been both a blessing and a curse for the VISTAs to wear these hats. As introverted people working in a highly extroverted field, they understand and share the time investment and demands of their job, which cultivates an empathetic environment and readily accessible support system. But it also means that their home often doubles as an office.

Anna (l) and Kemi (r) at
Thursday night dinner

To attempt to remedy that issue, the Vivacious VISTAs declared Thursdays nights as roomie dinner nights, a time during which work would not be discussed. Instead, they cranked up the Kitchen Karaoke station on Songza, put on their dancing socks and cut up yummy veggies together to relish in each other’s work-free company. However, old habits die hard. Several attempted work-free dinners ended in work-related conversation, so the VISTAs instituted their own book club. Following the glowing recommendation of one of their students, and because they all identify as introverts, the VISTAs decided to read Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain. What was once a time instinctively filled by work schedules, frustrations and questions, transformed into stimulating conversation about personal habits, self-reflective inquiries and new discoveries.

The VISTA house has become a home through late nights of laughter and late nights of work. Surprisingly, eight months into their VISTA term, they haven’t gotten sick of each other yet, something they all think is a miraculous feat. At the HPU VISTA house, VISTAs have provided one another an extraordinary education, have cultivated an inspiring environment, and have been caring people. 

The Vivacious VISTAs rock!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Learn more about the High Point VISTAs in the following media mentions:

Alumna Works to Make a Difference in High Point (featuring Anna Mahathey)
Knocking on Hunger's Door (featuring Shannon Barr and Kemi Ademuyewo)

Farm to Friends

By Justin Brantley
AmeriCorps VISTA at Feast Down East, Wilmington, NC

My name is Justin Brantley and I am an AmeriCorps VISTA Member Serving in South Eastern North Carolina. For the past 7 months I have been working with a Non Profit called Feast Down East. This organization’s goal is to connect limited resource farmers to various outlets for their produce to help strengthen the local food economy by keeping food dollars in this region. These outlets include restaurants, grocery stores, institutions, as well as fresh markets in the region.  My focus has been to reach additional low income communities.

In my last semester I was volunteering at a community based fresh market within a Wilmington Housing Authority (WHA) community called Rankin Terrace.  As I heard about VISTA through my involvement as a volunteer I was able to apply for VISTA after I graduated in May. One of my first duties as a new VISTA was to assume the role of the fresh market facilitator at the Rankin Terrace Community.  One of the most important aspects of our Fresh Market program is that the residents of this community help run the market each week.  This resident support is essential to the success of our market program.

R to L: Justin with FoodCorps Members

One of my roles has been to help further expand our reach into low income communities in the Wilmington Area.  As a new VISTA I was able to access office space in another WHA Community called Hillcrest through the partnership with Feast Down East, UNCW, and the WHA.  Hillcrest is the oldest standing Housing Authority Development and was built not long after WW2.  This community has had a history of criminal activity but has seen great improvements in recent years due to a strengthened partnership between the WHA and Wilmington Police.

When I first came to Hillcrest the residents weren’t as friendly or perceptive as I would have preferred.  However, given time to get to know some of the residents through Community Meetings as well as through shared activities at the community center I have found that they are great people who really care about bringing positive change to their community.  There are many groups that come into community to try and “help” but may provide a short term service and leave never to return. I have found that as soon as residents begin to realize that you are here for an extended period of time in an attempt to bring positive resources to the community they will open up and show their support.

In working at Hillcrest I have been able to identify a leader in one of the older residents.  From the start she seemed interested in working with a community garden in this community. Since September I have worked closely with this resident in attempts to establish a garden club in association with the community garden but had little success over the winter getting additional residents involved.  In December we were able to start a new fresh market at the Hillcrest Community. The market is ultimately modeled after the Market at Rankin Terrace.  Since December this market has seen success in that we have begun to identify our regular customers within the community.  One of the challenges of this market has been getting the surrounding community to participate.

There has been a great amount of student support in regards to our ongoing programming. I have 

Residents and Students at the
first Hillcrest Fresh Market

found that is has been a greater challenge recruiting volunteers from within the WHA Communities.  I typically see the elementary aged children at the after-school program and the significantly older residents in the neighborhood. I have had a difficult time reaching people in between.  For various reasons it has been difficult reaching this population of people.  The children are limited in ways they can work with our organization as well as the older adults.  It’s the prime age of physical capability that I have had a difficulty reaching.  One thing that can be frustrating in working in such communities is that the older individuals are supportive of positive change in the community but due to physical limitations they may not be able to be as supportive as they would like while the individuals who are most capable can often be the most difficult to reach.

It takes time to see the results of your work in such communities but with the implementation of the Fresh Market at Hillcrest success can be seen at each market as student volunteers interact with residents in the operation of the market.  Most often winning is found in the race itself.

Now Accepting Applications for 2015-2016 VISTA Members!

Are you ready to serve North Carolina? Come make a difference with us!

NC Campus Compact is now accepting applications from candidates for 2015-2016 AmeriCorps VISTA positions. Our next VISTA cohort will begin on August 7, 2015 and will serve one full year.

Our 2014-2015 VISTA cohort and supervisors at orientation!

To learn more about our program and the application process, visit our FAQ page for Prospective VISTAs.

Please visit our position listing on my.americorps.gov when you are ready to create your AmeriCorps application and begin our application process.

According to Opportunity Index, 17.5% North Carolinians live in poverty. Low income communities face many challenges, including access to healthy food, employment, and education resources.

Our VISTA members serve North Carolina's most vulnerable people by working with local community agencies and college campuses to address the needs of low income communities. Our VISTAs serve at 15 different sites across the state, from Cullowhee to Wilmington and many places in between! To learn more about placement locations, read our 2015-16 host site summaries.

VISTAs sort children's books at an MLK Day event

As a VISTA, you could be involved in many different capacity-building activities. For example, you may:

• Prepare a community needs and assets evaluation
• Develop a new program that benefits low-income community members
• Recruit, train, and manage volunteers
• Write grants or organize fundraisers to bring new resources to your organization
• Support citizen and student leadership and participation in service
• Plan national service day events
• Facilitate service-learning placements, community-based research, and co-curricular opportunities that support communities

Want to know more? You can read more about our VISTAs' experience in their own words:

Natasha, serving at Wake Forest University
George, serving at the Marian Cheek Jackson Center
Hannah, serving at East Carolina University
Meghan, serving at Meredith College

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of AmeriCorps VISTA on February 25th!

AmeriCorps VISTA's 50th Anniversary National Solutions Summit will take place at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC on February 25, 2015.

The National Solutions Summit salutes AmeriCorps VISTA’s legacy of strengthening communities and creating opportunities that lift individuals out of poverty. This event features a retrospective look at VISTA’s achievements through the voices of those who have served and been served, and spotlights the innovative solutions and ideas of tomorrow through social entrepreneurs, thought leaders, policymakers, and grassroots agents of change.

The event will take place from 1:00-5:30 PM in the Rasmuson Theater at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. In order to live stream the event please register here. 

Agenda:

12:00 p.m. Registration Begins

1:00 p.m. Welcome - Paul Monteiro, Director, AmeriCorps VISTA

1:15 p.m. Wendy Spencer, CEO, Corporation for National & Community Service

1:30 p.m. Poverty in America

1:45 p.m. Voices of VISTA Panel - Then and Now

3:00 p.m. Break / Networking

3:45 p.m. Solutions Worth Sharing - Speaker Spotlights

5:30 p.m. Closing

Make Poverty History!

Alum Spotlight: Monica Palmeira

Monica signing her VISTA oath at PSO!

Monica Palmeira was the first VISTA at the Marian Cheek Jackson Center in Chapel Hill, 2012-2013. During her year of service, she helped the young non-profit improve its organizational systems and strengthen a partnership with Heavenly Groceries, a food ministry serving the Northside community. Through her work there, Monica learned she is “passionate about housing and neighborhoods.” When her term ended in 2013, Monica headed west to Sacramento, California. An internship with Housing California led Monica to her current position at the California Coalition for Rural Housing, one of the oldest affordable housing coalitions in the country. We spoke with Monica recently to learn more about her work and the lessons she took from her VISTA experience.

Before we talk about what you’re doing now, I wanted to ask if you have been back to the Jackson Center lately. Have you?

Monica (first row, far right) with the 
Heavenly Groceries team.

Actually, I visited last fall for a friend’s wedding. And I went by Heavenly Groceries to say hey to Ms. Gladys and they had just gotten new t-shirts so that was really cool. Pretty much every time I go back I’m given some kind of responsibility at the food ministry - I’m required to go pick up food or do something. Whenever I see Ms. Gladys she immediately puts me to work… it’s the best way to be welcomed.

That’s great. So tell us about the work you are doing now.

I am currently working as a Policy and Programs Specialist at the California Coalition for Rural Housing. Our job is to advocate on behalf of our members, which are primarily non-profit affordable housing developers. We try to get policies on the local and state level to incentivize and facilitate the building of affordable housing throughout rural California. So it’s a really cool perspective on this issue, but it’s really a departure from the neighborhood-based work I was doing at the Jackson Center, so the two experiences really complement each other. I’m getting a ton of experience and exposure to issues, but I’m finding myself missing a lot of aspects of my work at the Jackson Center-- like having a strong connection to one place.

What’s your role at the coalition?

At a small non-profit like ours [6 staff], it’s so hard to define roles, but I basically work across all our programs. I host a lot of convening and coalition-building events and conversations, particularly for the policy aspect of things. I plan our annual conference for example. This job has also allowed me to travel throughout a lot of California, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley.

One of the big things I’ve been really involved with: in California we have a pioneering Cap and Trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The money that comes out of the options proceeds is going into this greenhouse gas reduction fund, which can fund other things, including affordable housing. So it’s a really new way of thinking about housing in terms of how can housing be a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: where do you locate housing so that people drive less? How do you co-locate housing and transit so that people are less dependent on cars? What are the impediments to walking and biking? I get to convene people to strategize how we can do this and design programs especially that address these issues in rural areas. 

How did you wind up working with that organization? 

When I moved out here I knew I wanted to work in housing and -- similar to the way the VISTA program can work, I got an internship experience that let me get my foot in the door. And through that I met the people I work with now.

It’s funny ‘cause my VISTA experience has been a cool thing to talk about. My boss actually moved out to California from Connecticut as an AmeriCorps person, and several of the executive directors of organizations or housing developers we work with-- a lot of them came to California through the VISTA program. So it’s been a fun connection to say we’re all VISTAs and we have a kind of VISTA pride. 

So it’s a program that’s been around for a long time and I think that it has a legacy of plugging a lot of people into nonprofit work.

Yes, VISTA is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Oh yes, and some of the people I was referring to may have been part of some of those first classes! There are VISTAs from a long time ago, and they’re still here and working for some of the organizations they served with.

Wow! Well, what do you like about living in California and what do you miss about North Carolina?

Monica and fellow Chapel Hill VISTA
Sarah-Abdul Rauf at a 2013 Habitat build.

Oh my gosh, I think about this all the time. What I love about California is that it’s incredibly diverse. People are from everywhere, and there are lots of Spanish-speakers, which for me is a really cool thing. My family is Portuguese and growing up [in Kinston, NC], I didn’t know any other kids whose parents were immigrants. But here that’s very normal and in some ways it’s very comfortable to be here.

I get to travel a good bit, mostly south of Sacramento in between the mountain ranges in what’s called the San Joaquin Valley. That region reminds me more of home, especially eastern North Carolina where I grew up. When I go to San Francisco I feel like I’m in a completely different world, but in the San Joaquin Valley I feel like I can navigate the world a little easier. 

I definitely miss the simplicity of life in North Carolina. I miss the warmth of people and how people congregate in like Church traditions. Here there are so many different traditions and a mix of people, which is great, but you miss the sense of unity in some way. North Carolina is very much on the table to move back to, but I love both places as they each have unique opportunities and experiences to offer.

What advice do you have for current VISTAs contemplating their next steps?

Yeah - VISTA is tough because it’s only 1 year, and that deadline can be very daunting. But try to see that deadline as a launching pad or trampoline - try to make the most of that year and think of it as a springboard more than impending doom.

I definitely had a lot of anxiety when I moved out here not knowing anyone. So I just started going to panel discussions and volunteering for non-profits and learning to network which helped me when I interviewed for an internship. So just put yourself out there as much as possible and use this year as an opportunity to push yourself out. 

What’s next for you?

I am looking to doing graduate school in a year or two and getting a master's in city and regional planning. I have a few schools that I am looking at out here but UNC is also a top choice--- and I could even work in Northside again!

Especially having a different perspective now, it would be interesting to go back to school. This job certainly helped but my VISTA experience most certainly helped with that. Studies are enhanced by real life experiences and nothing beats that experience, by doing the work you are able to see where the gaps are and where you want to focus your energy on. I give VISTA credit for helping me realize what I enjoy and what I am passionate about that I can focus on and make the most of any educational opportunities in the future.

This spotlight is part of the latest issue of the VISTA Alumni Network Newsletter